Chapter : 08
Kind Enough to Freeze to Death
“…A follow-up article?” “Yeah. But the content is… well, a bit problematic.”
Just yesterday, there had been nothing.
Chowon immediately searched for articles related to her on her phone. It was a routine she had repeated endlessly ever since her novels became linked to a series of deaths.
There hadn’t been any updated news before she went to sleep last night… so what could it be now?
With a sense of unease, Chowon scrolled through the results until she found a newly published piece. A small sigh escaped her lips.
[The Shaman’s Spiritual Daughter Becomes the Writer Who Calls for Death!]
“You really didn’t know. I thought you came to the publishing house suddenly because you saw the news,” Hyerim said. “Not at all. I came today to talk about something else.”
Chowon set her phone down with a weary expression. Hyerim watched her movements closely before speaking.
“…It’s about the release schedule for the new book, isn’t it?” “How did you know?” “I can tell just by looking at you. It’s not like we’ve only worked together for a day or two.”
Hyerim leaned back loosely against her chair and continued.
“Don’t worry about that. We’re already planning to postpone the release.” “…You were already planning that?” “Yeah. We have no intention of marketing your book by riding on this kind of controversy. No matter how much I like money, I won’t do something that lacks class.”
Chowon remained silent, feeling a pang of guilt. Hyerim had already suspended sales of all of Chowon’s books involved in the controversy, reasoning that it was immoral to increase sales figures on the back of a bereaved family’s tragedy. Chowon knew well that making such a decision wasn’t easy for a small publishing house.
“Don’t make that face, Writer Eun. It’s not like I’m giving up on business forever. A book merchant has to sell books to make money. I’m just thinking of waiting two or three months until the controversy dies down. I can afford that much. Believe it or not, I’m the daughter of a wealthy family.”
Seeing Hyerim shrug as if it were no big deal, Chowon managed a faint smile. Only then did Hyerim smile back, looking relieved. She leaned forward toward the table again and spoke in a remarkably tender voice.
“We have a business relationship and I’m much older, but I think of you as a friend. So don’t feel too sorry about what’s happening. Tell me if things get hard.”
Chowon watched her silently. Hyerim gave a bright, spirited grin and added one last thing.
“It’ll all pass soon.”
Clover Teahouse was quiet on a weekday afternoon. Bok-ja sat at the empty counter, sipping yuzu tea. The honey-colored tea was as sweet as its hue.
Cheerful jazz music flowed from the speakers. She didn’t know the exact titles—she just played a recommendation list the app claimed suited her taste—but she liked it regardless.
“I’m here.”
Right on cue, Yohan walked in with the chime of the door. Bok-ja turned to see his face and welcomed him with a gentle smile.
“You’re here. But isn’t it quite a while before your shift starts?” “Yes. I was just passing by and stopped in. It’s quiet today, huh?” “It’ll probably get busy right when you start working. It’s been like that lately.”
Yohan gave a slightly bashful smile at Bok-ja’s playful remark. It was true that since Yohan became an employee at Clover Teahouse, the number of customers had increased significantly during his hours. His handsome looks certainly played a part, but the bigger reason was that the quality of the coffee had improved beyond recognition.
“So, where were you headed?” “Oh. My sister went to the publishing house this morning, and it’s about time for her to come back.” “Going out to meet her now? You two must have gotten quite close.” “No, she’s still cold. But I think she’ll be feeling troubled lately… I want to be with her as much as possible.” “I knew it, but… you really do cherish her, don’t you?”
Yohan smiled sheepishly again. Unlike a moment ago, there was a hint of shyness on his face.
Bok-ja occasionally compared this Yohan to the child she once knew. A boy who was smaller than his peers, silent, and who always walked looking at the ground without ever smiling. Thinking of that time, the fact that Yohan had made it through and become such a reliable adult felt like a miracle.
“Did you tell her everything? To that girl.” “…No, I couldn’t tell her all of it.”
Bok-ja nodded slowly and spoke in a very serious tone.
“I’m sure you’ll handle it well, but tell her before you get any closer. If she finds out too late, she might feel deceived. The Shaman knows, you know, and even I know—she’s the only one left in the dark.”
Yohan looked at the floor and took a deep breath, then nodded slowly in agreement. He had wanted to stay like this a little longer, but he knew. He would have to tell her someday. There was a limit to living while keeping it hidden.
Bok-ja watched Yohan’s somewhat bitter expression before shrugging her shoulders to change the mood, speaking playfully again.
“The fact that we’ve known each other all along will be quite a plot twist for her, won’t it?”
Yohan simply smiled silently, understanding her intention.
On the bus, Chowon read more of the articles that had been shared on an online community.
Chowon had always worked under a pen name. Fortunately, a couple of her books had become bestsellers, but she had never held a signing event or an interview. She didn’t want to expose herself to the public, and Hyerim, as the publisher, had respected that.
But somehow, this article described Chowon’s personal life in great detail. The central topic was that ‘Chowon was raised under a shaman.’
Who Chowon’s guardian was shouldn’t have been important. However, the story changes depending on the perspective and how the facts are dramatized.
The reporter portrayed Chowon as if she were Cheon-hwa’s ‘Spiritual Daughter.’ A young shaman who received the spirits wrote a novel, and some of the people who read it committed suicide, leaving sentences from the book in their wills. It was a story tailor-made to pique public interest.
└ Isn’t this like those ‘curses’ people talk about? I think I saw something like this in a historical drama. └ Gasp, so the writer is an actual shaman? Hey, this is a bit scary. └ To be honest, I don’t care if the writer is a shaman or not, but the fact that she hid it is creepy. Unless there’s an intention, why feel the need to hide it? └ Even writing a comment is scary. Are we all going to die too?
The comments on the community post were rife with exaggerated jokes and ridiculous speculations. The situation in the SNS comments she had seen earlier was no different. Should she feel lucky that her face and name hadn’t been revealed yet? She let out a hollow laugh.
Only when she reached her stop did Chowon put her phone back in her bag. She stood up, tapped her card, and grabbed the metal handrail. The cold sensation of the metal seeped into her palm.
Her head throbbed. Even if she tried to be indifferent, she couldn’t help but be bothered. Not only were lines from her novel being found in suicide notes, but now her personal life was being stripped bare.
With a slight lurch, the bus stopped. When the doors opened, a familiar face was waiting.
“Are you back?”
It was Yohan. Chowon stepped off the bus, her face showing no surprise.
“Didn’t you go to work?” “I have the afternoon shift today.” “…How did you know when I was coming?” “I just waited. The weather was nice.”
Chowon started to ask ‘Since when?’ but closed her mouth. She turned and began to walk, pretending to be indifferent. She didn’t try to avoid Yohan as he naturally stepped up to walk beside her.
“What did they say at the publishing house?” “Just work stuff.”
Chowon cut him off without further explanation. Her attitude made it clear she didn’t want to talk more.
Yohan remained silent and watched her face. She looked as though she were entangled in a very complicated matter. Behind her neck, a faint, flickering black shadow was swaying.
The trace of latent anxiety.
Yohan naturally reached out his hand and swept it, absorbing it into his palm. A small scratch appeared near his pinky finger. Chowon, noticing his hand near her neck, twisted her body away reflexively.
“…What. You again?” “It was just a very small one.” “I told you I don’t like it.” “Why?”
Chowon looked back with a dissatisfied expression at Yohan’s blunt question. But Yohan just shrugged, looking like he truly didn’t understand.
“There’s nothing bad about it. I was born with this ability, and thanks to it, I can share a bit of your pain.” “But you get hurt.” “It’s just a scratch.” “…I still don’t like it.”
Chowon spoke firmly and turned away as if it weren’t even worth discussing. Yohan watched her visibly uncomfortable face before letting out a small, audible chuckle.
“Why are you laughing?” “Because it’s not bad.” “…What isn’t?”
The feeling of being worried about.
Instead of answering, Yohan just gave a wide grin. Even if he said it out loud, Chowon’s reaction was predictable. She’d probably snap back with an embarrassed, “Whatever. Who’s worried about who?”
Of course, he liked seeing that expression too. But there was no point in discussing this subject for long. Yohan had no intention of doing what Chowon asked.
He was ready to do anything she asked, but this was different. He couldn’t make a promise not to take away her darkness. Because it would surely be a lie.
Suddenly, uneasy voices began to murmur from the surroundings. People’s eyes were all fixed on a spot high above.
“What’s with that person?” “Uh… shouldn’t someone stop him?”
Chowon instinctively looked up in the same direction. Yohan did the same. At that moment, both of them froze in their tracks.
A man was standing on the railing of a building’s rooftop. A very familiar man. Chowon recognized him instantly. The man who had killed the white dog a week ago, the one who had tried to kill her… the face of that truck driver. He stood on the railing like someone possessed, staring straight ahead.
Mister, what are you doing! Hey, did someone call it in? What do we do? Someone needs to go up there!
The cacophony of voices began to pile up around them. But he didn’t move an inch. With a haggard appearance as if he had been torn apart, and with hollow eyes, he only gazed forward.
And in the next moment, his stiff body began to tilt forward like a falling domino. The body that was slowly leaning forward gained speed and fell downward. Like a solid rod being driven into the ground, his body began to plummet toward the pavement.
Thud!
In an instant, groans and screams erupted in a chaotic mix, and people recoiled all at once. Like the remains of a misplaced red fruit, blood began to spread rapidly around his fallen form.
Yohan pulled the stunned Chowon toward him. Chowon’s dazed body moved without resistance.
What is happening?
In the sudden chaos, Chowon looked up again toward the rooftop where he had been standing just moments ago. And she saw him. Another man standing there. To her shock, it was a face she knew.
…Han Seol?
Her mind went faint for a second, and Chowon shook off Yohan’s hand. She began to run like mad toward the old building in front of her. Her breath hitched as she sprinted up the stairs of the five-story building, but she didn’t slow down.
The person she saw on the roof. A face she had lived without for a long time, but one that remained vivid in her memory.
‘Seol. Will a day like that… really come for us?’
The face that had gazed at her silently when she asked in a trembling voice long ago. Narrow eyes that curved into a smile as if drawn by a brush. The corners of a mouth that turned up slowly and beautifully.
‘Of course. It will definitely come, Chowon.’
Bang.
When she burst through the loosely closed door and onto the rooftop, there was no one there.
End Of Chapter : 08
